KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) state assemblymen were unperturbed by Sabah Progressive Party’s (SAPP) claim that it had activated its election machinery in at least 30 seats which it could win in the next election.
The assemblymen said there was no reason for them to be worried when the decision on who wins an election is in the hands of voters who are intelligent and matured in making the right choice.
According to Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister cum Melalap assemblyman Datuk Radin Malleh, the BN state assemblymen were working hard to bring development to the state.
“BN is confident that the rakyat are smarter than Yong (Teck Lee) thinks and the coalition is unperturbed by his claim. Yong can make any claim he wants (as) that is his right or that is how he wants to play the game,” the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS)
vice-president said.
Radin pointed out that the opposition could make all kinds of claims but it would be the voters who make the final decision on who they wanted in the government.
“Ironically, a senior SAPP leader left the party yesterday, so SAPP and DAP can make big claims. The same goes to PKR. Let them make their claims,” he said.
He said this when asked to comment on SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee’s statement that the party had, in the past year, been busy identifying state constituencies that it would contest and could win in the next election in order for it to obtain the majority needed to form the government.
Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said that SAPP had so far identified 30 of the seats and the status of the work so far was “3-2-1”.
According to him, 3 meant that SAPP had already identified 30 constituencies quite clearly in terms of the issues, machinery, leaders on the ground and the strategy it would apply.
He added: “Number 2 means that we have 20 seats to consider and the number 1 in the status is for the 10 seats that we will not put any effort as we more or less believe will not be part of the 40 seats we are targeting.”
From the remaining 20 constituencies under consideration, SAPP would identify 10 by the end of this year and would have its machinery in place by then, Yong said.
Meanwhile Assistant Finance Minister Donald Datuk Peter Mojuntin said that it was normal for any party to claim that they are geared for the election.
The Moyog assemblyman pointed out that in politics, elections could come up suddenly so it was wise for any political party to be ever ready for such eventuality.
“As for claiming victory in certain constituencies, what matters is the electorates’ preference on polling day.
We can all claim anything we like but what should be more important is our service and what we deliver to the rakyat.
“We should all be constantly working hard. The rakyat are intelligent enough to analyse and evaluate the situation after which they will make their decision through the vote they cast. That’s the beauty of democracy,” the United Pasok Momogun KadazanDusun Murut Organisation (Upko) information chief said.